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Just as bad weather hit the northwest the night before, the home side overwhelmed Manchester United aside at the Etihad. It was a statement three goal victory for their manager's side owing to goals from Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Lauren Hemp. It was a performance that truly announced their championship potential as they consolidated their place at the top of the table.

Back-to-Back Setbacks for United

This result represented successive league defeats for the United manager's side for the initial occasion since last May, putting them a sizable gap off the league leaders with their championship aspirations in serious doubt.

Manchester United's ability to juggle league and continental football with a thin squad has been a frequently analyzed subject since they earned a place in the European competition. Reviewing the calendar, it always felt like this was the period that would fully examine this capability. Unfortunately for the visitors, they appeared weary throughout, the historic win against the French side clearly having taken a toll.

Team Changes

Marc Skinner had attempted to rotate the squad with a a few alterations. Toone, Terland, Janssen and Galton all brought freshness, although the omission of the in-form Melvine Malard to the bench caused surprise.

Manchester City, in contrast, have fewer loading worries. Jeglertz made one adjustment from last week’s win over the Toffees with Lauren Hemp making her return to the lineup since returning from injury.

Overpowering Start

The trouble started to build for Skinner and his squad from the kickoff. This was a exhibition of the power from City whose dynamic offense played with and tore United open with a superb initial 45 minutes performance that saw them score three goals in 21 minutes.

This put the hosts firmly in control and left United disorganized. Prior to this encounter, the away side had let in just a handful in this domestic competition but they collapsed in the wake of the hosts' attacking flair.

Opening Threats

The omens came soon when Miedema used her power to bundle Zigiotti off the ball, only to send her shot wide. Lauren Hemp was at the heart of everything early on, using the room left by Jayde Riviere down the visitors' right side. Her crosses were posing a threat and led to an opportunity for Hasegawa that Sandberg cleared off the line.

The Red Devils had several attacks forward, their straightforward approach giving them choices in the wings but they could not trouble Ayaka Yamashita. City, in the meantime, commanded possession, taunting their opponents and trying to draw them out of their defensive shape.

Goals Galore

They turned chances into goals with almost the first period played when Aoba Fujino won the hosts a set-piece. A ball to the far post was nodded across goal by Bunny Shaw for Knaak to score. It was Manchester City's seventh goal from a cross of the campaign.

They increased their advantage with an additional two goals just before the half-time. When Jade Rose was able to maraud through the middle from central defence, the play opened up for City. The key Kerstin Casparij received possession on the right side before providing a precise ground pass for Shaw to force home. Shortly later, they had a third goal after a quick turnover in the ball saw Lauren Hemp afforded the opportunity to strike a attempt home from outside the box.

After the Break

The clearest substitution came from the United manager at the interval as Malard was introduced for Elisabeth Terland but by this time it was futile to alter the outcome of the game. Ex- Manchester City player Jess Park came most likely to score, rattling the upright, but the away team were lacking in ideas and did not manage to record a one shot on target.

The hosts, meanwhile, could have extended their lead when a excellent Vivianne Miedema long ball sent Bunny Shaw away only for her to fluff her lines but it was insignificant to the hosts. Previously unable to overcome any opponent who finished above them last season, Jeglertz’s side now have victories against the Gunners and United to place them in a commanding position after the opening fixtures.